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CNN Sunday Morning

Capping the Gulf Oil Spill; Car Bomb Kills 26 in Baghdad

Aired June 20, 2010 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this June 20th, Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to you all out there watching and also those listening to us on satellite radio this morning. I'm T.J. Holmes.

It's 8:00 a.m. in Atlanta, Georgia, where I stand; 7:00 a.m. in Memphis; and 5:00 a.m. out in Los Angeles. Wherever you may be waking up -- thank you for being right here with us.

Now, we saw pictures this morning, speaking of Father's Day, take a look at this. Sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of those lost in the Vietnam War, they spent the morning washing the wall. This is at the Vietnam War Memorial in D.C. They are preserving the memorial, spending time at their father's name panel.

A ceremony with Army chief of staff, General George Casey, is expected to start in just a couple of hours. We're keeping an eye on that.

Also, keeping an eye on BP. And lo and behold, it's happened again -- another P.R. disaster for BP and their CEO, Tony Hayward. Yes, the same guy who said he wanted his life back.

Now, the problem is, he was spotted at a posh yachting race off the coast of England. And that, of course, is getting some backlash. This morning, we'll take a look at it.

But, first, let me give a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines.

First, two car bombs exploding in Baghdad this morning -- 26 people killed, another 53 people wounded. Bombs went off in quick succession. This is part of recent violent attacks we've seen that have killed and wounded many. Analysts say insurgents are taking advantage of the inability for the government there to form a functioning government, three months now after the elections in Iraq.

Also, in Africa, a plane with nine people on board is missing in western part of the country. And most of the people on board worked for an Australian mining company. And among them was a mining millionaire. His name is Ken Talbot.

The plane disappeared. It took off from Cameroon, as you see there, in the western part of Africa. It was heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo. That search continues this morning. Also, sad news for many fans of the NBA. Manute Bol, former player, died at the age of 47. No specific cause is given but he had reportedly been having some kidney problems.

And he was best known because he was 7'7'' tall -- one of the tallest players in the history of the NBA. He played for 10 years. He was known more so not for his scoring but his shot-blocking and his rebounding. Also, he was a native of Sudan and spent much of his time, energy, money and efforts back home.

Well, we are on day 62 now of this oil disaster in the Gulf. The latest for you now: all those methods to try, the top kill, top hat, and everything else, well, forget all of that, says one Louisiana state senator. We just need to pray. The state senator's name is Robert Adley and he has sponsored a statewide day of prayer, asking people to pray for an end to, quote, "this environmental emergency," also saying that mortal efforts have failed and it's time for a miracle.

Many critics out there are saying it will take a miracle to get all the money for this oil disaster. BP says it has already written 31,000 checks in seven weeks. The total payout so far: $104 million. No reaction yet from the federal or state government on the figures that BP is putting out.

Also, a lot of reaction you're going to be seeing from BP's CEO Tony Hayward's latest move. That move was watching his $750,000 yacht taking place in a pretty prestigious race -- boat race. You're seeing his boat. It's called Bob.

But this is a regatta off the Isle of Wight in England. This was yesterday. According to BP officials, he was just spending time with family and friends.

Now, not surprisingly here, Hayward's outing drew a whole lot of criticism. Many are saying, you know, it added to his reputation as the most hated man in America. Cameras caught him at that race, and images now going out worldwide.

BP issued this statement. Let me quote it here, saying, "He is spending time with his family this weekend off the Isle of Wight in England."

Those words and the sight of Hayward yachting drew some pretty swift reaction, including from the White House chief of staff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAHM EMANUEL, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: To quote Tony Hayward, he's got his life back, as he would say. And I think we can all conclude that Tony Hayward is not going to have a second year in P.R. consulting. This has just been part of the long line of P.R. gaffes and mistakes.

But beyond that photo is really a substance here that matters. That's clearly a P.R. mistake, but he's made a number of those mistakes. What's important is: are we capping the well? Are we capturing the oil?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes. But speaking of those P.R. mistakes, a P.R. expert says BP and Hayward have got to be more aware of what they're doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MARGULIES, CRISIS MANAGEMENT EXPERT: What you're seeing are two things that are very common in crisis situations. One, you lack a devil's advocate. We always tell our clients, and sometimes, we play that role: you want somebody who is going to take the most negative possible view of everything you do, and you want that person, and on the decision making, to politely and respectfully say, sir, is that really a good idea? You know, what are they going to say if you're on a yacht when the oil spill is still not clean up and oil well is not controlled.

But corporations don't have that. You can you be safer doing it when I do it because I'm an independent consultant. And, you know, every once in a while, the CEO look at me and say, you're fired, I don't want to take your advice. Usually, they are fired not too long after that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Like I mentioned, we are on day 62 of this oil disaster. That oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico. BP is still trying to cap that spill.

CNN's David Mattingly joins us now from Okaloosa Island in Florida.

David, you talked to one of the workers who's actually helped drilling the relief wells. And again, we're told, David, this is the only real way to stop this spill.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The only way to stop this leaking well is to drill that relief well, drill down, connect to the leaking well and fill it up with cement. That's going to happen, we hope, sometime in August. They're a little bit ahead of schedule. But still, it's going to be a long and oily summer.

And right now, here in the Florida Panhandle, they are starting to see some of that oil come ashore in the form of tar balls. We've had some impact here on Okaloosa Island, near Destin, yesterday. We got confirmation of tar balls hitting near Panama City Beach as well.

So, all throughout the panhandle here, the big tourism season, they're looking for ways to save this. And we saw some of that video that came from the Gulf yesterday of the big operations that they had out there. There was a little bit of a setback, a 10-hour period where they weren't collecting that full amount of oil that they were capable of doing. And so, right now, they're just looking at what we can do to capture or to contain that oil that's come up to the surface in the form of a sheen and those tar balls that are coming ashore. We went out with the Coast Guard yesterday from here, and we saw some of the large equipment they're bringing in to immobilize in this area. They got skimmers coming in. They got barges coming in. They got decontamination vessel that was coming in. They're deploying booms all over the place.

And, right now, they are saying they're just treating this sort of like a war-time operation to attack the oil out at sea and keep it from coming in here.

Listen to what they have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. MATHEW ANDERSON, U.S. COAST GUARD: What we've seen when it has come on the beach is a very inconsistent, very scattered small tar balls. We haven't seen the thick, heavy ribbons of molasses stuff that you saw in Orange Beach, Alabama, and Gulf Shores, Alabama, only a week ago.

MATTINGLY: But it is out here somewhere?

ANDERSON: It is. Absolutely. It's an ongoing fight. We're anticipating, continuing to find and fight oil in place as it rises to the service for the next -- you know, in foreseeable future. Our operations are deployed to support this on a war-time footing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: What we're seeing are communities all up and down the panhandle here in Florida adopting sort of quick attack plan anytime those tar balls, anytime that sheen might be coming ashore. They're getting after it and cleaning it up as quickly as possible so the tourists can come back out and enjoy the beaches.

Every time it hits in a certain area, there's a chilling affect on tourism. They see some people checking out of hotels and going off. But the plan is here, and the hope is, that they will be able to get out and clean up the beaches as quickly as possible anytime there is some sort of oil contact to salvage anything they can from this tourists season.

HOLMES: All right. David Mattingly for us, Okaloosa County in Florida -- we appreciate you again this morning, David.

Another troubling picture we're seeing from the Gulf, literally, a picture. Take a look at it. Dozens of workers ready, willing, able to work, but sitting around with nothing to do yesterday. They said they were on a stand-down order, though no one knew who issued that order.

The Plaquemines Parish president who toured the area at dawn sent out this statement saying, "The oil doesn't wait. This is unacceptable and unbelievable; it's the reason why I called for a change in leadership. I'm going to send this to the White House so they know what's happening on the ground," end quote. Well, a lot of you all, like those workers maybe, want to get up and help. Well, something you can do is to contribute. Join us Monday night for an all-star telethon to help the people on the Gulf. A two-hour special, "LARRY KING LIVE" event begins at 8:00 Eastern Time, Monday night, right here on CNN.

Breaking story we're keeping an eye on out of Iraq this morning. Two car bombs exploded in quick succession in western Baghdad, killed at least 26 people, 53 wounded.

Our Martin Savidge is joining us now live from Baghdad with the latest.

Do we know yet, Martin, who might be responsible for this attack?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we can suspect. However, no one has actually come forward and claimed responsibility for these two attacks.

Authorities here are now saying from the Baghdad operation center that these were two suicide car bombs attack and that they came actually just within a minute of one another in the Al-Mansur neighborhood as you say. And it appears that these were two vehicles that were loaded each with about 160 pounds of ammonium nitrate.

What was targeted down there was a bank, specifically a bank known as the Trade Bank of Iraq. This is, of course, the beginning of the workweek here in the Muslim world. So, it would have been very busy in that time of day, which was about 10:30 in the morning Baghdad time when these explosions were heard. We heard them actually here in the Baghdad bureau, and it's shaping up to be probably one of the worst attacks that Baghdad has seen in some time.

But it has been part of a chain of violence -- actually, the last three days have been violent. There were two bombings that took place to the provinces north of Baghdad that left eight people killed. That was on Friday. And then last night, you had a series of roadside bombs that went off and a rocket attack that killed about five and you got the bank attack today.

And then on top of that, you had another bank attack just one week ago, this time in central Baghdad. And that killed at least 18.

Things are heating up in many ways in Baghdad.

HOLMES: You talk about it heating up and you certainly mention those two banks. Why target possibly a bank if, in fact, it was the intended target? And what do we make of the fact that we have seen two banks? Why would they go after this? Is this an indication of some kind of new tactic?

SAVIDGE: Well, it's basically going after, again, government installations, but this time, going after financial institutions. Last week, you had the Central Bank of Iraq, and then you have this bank today which is also owned by the government. What's key about this particular bank is that it was instrumental in finding foreign investors to reinvest into Iraq. Of course, with the decline of violence, down from it was two years ago, a lot of companies have been interested about spending money and investing into Iraq. If you strike at the investment banks, you send a clear message to those who might be considering such a move that maybe it's not so safe as you think -- at least that's what the terrorists groups would like them to think -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Martin Savidge for us live in Baghdad -- Martin, we appreciate you this morning. Thanks so much.

And on this Father's Day, we've got a heck of a Father's Day story for you, it has to do with a heart transplant. But it's not really what you think. The man, you see him there, he's playing golf, not on his first heart, not his second, he's actually on his third heart of his life -- a transplant story you need to see coming up.

Also, time for us to say good morning to a good friend -- Reynolds Wolf.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Back at you, tough guy.

You know, it doesn't matter what you happen to be doing on Father's Day -- maybe you're trying out a new grill, going to the beach, going to the lake, or sometimes, one of the best things, doing absolutely nothing. Well, regardless what you plan on doing, you got to know what the weather is going to be like. And we're going to give you the complete forecast coming up in just a few minutes.

You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll see you guys in just a few.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

HOLMES: What we are sharing with you here, all of these folks, members of our team. And you see some of them with their kids. You see some of them with their dads. But just Father's Day pictures to share with you.

Oh, that's a great shot. That is a great shot. My dad. This is Father's Day. We're celebrating here as well. My dad is not awake, I don't believe.

WOLF: Hopefully my dad is sleeping.

HOLMES: Hopefully?

WOLF: Hopefully so. Yes.

HOLMES: OK.

WOLF: With munchkins at times.

HOLMES: Oh, dude. OK.

WOLF: Yes. It's weird because we -- I, mean, I am not saying that CNN is not like a big family, because we are. But this show especially, the weekend crew, we are -- we're a big, big, big family.

HOLMES: A huge family.

WOLF: And to show family, too, with the rest of America is kind of a cool thing.

HOLMES: It's very cool.

WOLF: Very cool.

HOLMES: Great music to go along with it as well. It's been kind of an emotional day this morning, hasn't it?

WOLF: It has been.

HOLMES: We have had a lot of ups and downs this morning. But people are talking about their dads, family time. We are showing the pictures from the Vietnam Memorial -- a big event there today.

But, hello. Happy Father's Day to you.

WOLF: Thank you so much. And I -- you know, one Father's Day present out there is that we got a pretty decent weather day today. I mean, there's a chance of some strong storms, but certainly not of the magnitude of what we had in parts of the Midwest.

HOLMES: That's great news.

WOLF: So, a little bit of a -- Mother Nature is going to keep her foot off the accelerator a little bit.

HOLMES: OK.

WOLF: So, that's good.

HOLMES: However, the heat is going to be back on parts of the Gulf Coast. So we can expect that.

I'm going to march on over to the weather wall over here. And as I do so, we're going to take this full and center and show you the heat first. And there it is, unavoidable. If you're out there by a grill, you know, obviously, it's going to be warming up. Hey, it's going to be 99 in Dallas, up by the stockyard (ph). And this happen in places like Austin, even Houston, highs at the 90sit will be warm.

And you know what that means. When you have the high humidity in Texas, it's going to feel much warmer in that. When we get to Las Vegas along the Strip, 96 degrees. Phoenix, the Valley of the Sun, 104 out by Sky Harbor -- Sky Harbor Airport in the afternoon. If you happen to be on a plan, you look out the window, and you see the luggage carriers filling up the airplanes. Give them a wave. It's going to be brutal out there, no question about it. Seventy-two in Los Angeles, still celebrating, the Lakers Fans. Seattle is 66, and 78 in Chicago, and 97 in St. Louis.

You know, we had the rough weather in Chicago also, over towards Detroit. It looks like, was we mentioned, a chance of severe weather is going to be there today but it's going to stretch from parts of the central plains, portions of the Midwest and back into the north central Rockies.

Severe storms? Yes. That's going to be possible today. But heavy rainfall, large hail, maybe some damaging winds, we can't rule out an isolated tornado or two. But it looks like the best opportunity for that severe weather is going to occur later in the afternoon and the early evening when we have our maximum heating and the atmosphere becomes fairly unstable.

Not so unstable in Texas. Just hot and warm for you and very humid in parts of the southeast, maybe a stray shower in Atlanta, perhaps even in Jacksonville, Florida, it might cool things off.

That is a quick wrap on your forecast. Bonnie Schneider is going to be around later on this afternoon to give you the very latest on your Father's Day forecast, and give you an idea of what you can expect leading into the workweek ahead -- T.J.

HOLMES: Reynolds, we appreciate you kind, sir.

WOLF: You bet.

HOLMES: We'll talk to you again here shortly.

WOLF: Sounds good.

HOLMES: Well, we got the World Cup going on. But you haven't forgotten about Tiger Woods, have you? He's back a major, the U.S. Open. After a rough couple days, he made a charge yesterday. He is third on the leader board. Tiger Woods in the hunt for another major. We got an update from U.S. Open coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Twenty-one minutes past the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING -- taking a look at some of the stories making headlines today.

The one-year anniversary of the death of Neda. You remember her. She's the young man whose shooting made her a symbol of Iran's opposition movement after the disputed elections in June.

Also, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about an instant coffee marketed as a sexual enhancer. FDA officials say Magic Powder Coffee, it's what it called, contains a chemical that causes dangerously low blood pressure when mixed with some prescription drugs.

Also, two car bombs went off within seconds of each other this morning in Baghdad. We're hearing at least 26 people dead, 53 wounded. The city has been rocked by a series of attacks over the past few days.

Well, a simple burglary gets national headlines, that's because it has something to do with the president's daughter.

Also, this Father's Day, your dad could be a rap star online at least. Josh Levs is here to show you how.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: My Facebook and Twitter are just filling up with people who apparently think it's hilarious to see me do this. Take a look.

Is that really that funny? Is it really not that me? Well, if you think this is funny, you will not believe who's about to do this next on air right here -- right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. EMILY JACKSON-HALL, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Hi. I'm Captain Emily Jackson-Hall. I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan. I wanted to say hello to my husband, Dan, and my two boys, J.D. and Jason, at our home in San Diego. Happy Father's Day, Dan. I love you very much. Thanks for taking care of our boys.

LANCE CPL. DION EDON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: My name is Lance Corporal Dion Edon. I'm in Afghanistan right now. I'd like to say happy Father's Day to my dad in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Love you, dad. Semper Fidelis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, it's Father's Day, and actually, did you know though it's a big anniversary for Father's Days -- turning 100 -- 100- year anniversary.

I'd bring in Josh Levs here. Let me bring in Reynolds Wolf.

We're down to three guys here on this show here on the weekend. All three guys, all dads, we are here on this show.

LEVS: Yes.

HOLMES: Oh, boy, the people of America should be nervous about this crew.

LEVS: No. It's all good.

HOLMES: But this is a cool way. This is fun. People really enjoy this when you show this early, Josh.

LEVS: Yes. And, by the way, let's tell everybody how incredibly many dads we are wishing a happy Father's Day to. This is the 100th anniversary; first celebration was June 1910. Look at these numbers from the census: 68 million dads in this country. So, a lot of people we are wishing happy Father's Day to.

Now, we know some of you out there -- maybe hasn't yet gone out and got in the car. Well, here's something you can do online. I got a call from the fine folks at Jib Jab, and like I've been saying today, everybody in the world knows -- T.J., help me out with the lingo here, how incredibly super fly -- I like saying that.

HOLMES: Super fly? Do we still use that?

LEVS: What is it? Reynolds Wolf is.

HOLMES: Oh!

LEVS: Reynolds is the rap star.

HOLMES: Everybody on this show really -- he has the most street cred of anybody on the show.

LEVS: Take a look. Here he goes. Ladies and gentlemen, Jib Jab.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: There he is with the move. And, T.J., like you were saying earlier, he kind of does move like this.

WOLF: Very much so.

HOLMES: People don't know this about Reynolds. Reynolds actually is the hippest, hoppest guy you have met.

WOLF: I -- it has been said that I am -- I am down for the 404.

LEVS: There's a video of him dancing from the Dana's (ph) somewhere on YouTube. I'm going to have to pull it out.

They are having a field day. They always may want to be here. And everyone is writing on my Facebook and Twitter that apparently, it's just hilarious to see. I think that looks natural, but I guess not.

WOLF: It is. I memorized the dance steps in no time. In fact, I was the choreographer in this whole thing. Josh, you learned very quickly.

LEVS: T.J., we didn't want to leave you out.

WOLF: Yes.

HOLMES: All right. I have been waiting on this.

LEVS: There it goes. There you go!

(VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: You know, out of the three of us -- out of the three of us, I pull it off the least.

LEVS: You know, isn't that weird?

WOLF: I am not saying anything, but that is a little odd.

HOLMES: You guys pull it off a little better than I do.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: How did that happen? Well, I got to say, in terms of the clothes, though, you are rocking there. We'll bring it full for a second so everyone can see T.J. and all his Jib Jab glory. This is a first on our show.

(VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I don't have white hands, though. That's a detail they missed.

LEVS: If you watch the hand -- if you watch the hand, they kind of like change color throughout the whole time.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: I think you're moving so quickly. I think it's an optical illusion. That's what it is.

HOLMES: I don't know about that.

LEVS: Well, anybody can get this if you go to Jib Jab. You do have to sign up. This is one of the membership things -- like 12 bucks per year, you can do all the Jib Jabs you want, including anything like that for Father's Day. Happy Father's Day, everybody.

HOLMES: And happy Father's Day, everybody.

WOLF: Happy Father's Day? Yes. Happy Father's Day.

HOLMES: Jib Jab does a great job there. They always come up with something timely for all of the events. So, yes, they do some good stuff.

Josh, thank you.

LEVS: See you guys.

HOLMES: Reynolds as well -- thank you.

And on this Father's Day, we're keeping an eye on -- certainly paying tribute to all the fathers out there. But another special tribute we've been keeping an eye on today is happening in Washington, D.C.

This was a little earlier, the fathers out there themselves, many of them. But they're also the sons and daughters, and the grandsons and granddaughters of those killed in the Vietnam War out there, as you see, with soap and water, cleaning the Vietnam Memorial Wall today. A special tribute to the Vietnam soldiers. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STAFF SGT. NUKELIA EALEY, U.S. AIR FORCE: Hi, I am Staff Sergeant Nukelia Ealey currently deployed at Joint Base (INAUDIBLE) Iraq. I would like to say Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in Albany, Georgia, especially my father Herbert Ealey. Happy Father's Day dad.

MASTER SGT. IRENE CAMACHO, U.S. AIR FORCE: Hi, this Master Sergeant Irene Camacho stationed at Kandahar Air Base. I'd like to wish a Happy Father's Day to my father Valdemor Camacho in San Antonio, Texas. Daddy, I miss you and I'm proud to be your daughter and can't wait to come home to see you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, there was a tribute as well going on this morning in our nation's capital for fallen fathers. It began this morning as you see with the washing of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Family members showed up at dawn. And again this symbolic gesture has been a tradition for the "Sons and Daughters in touch" that organization -- they have been doing this for years.

Now, I spoke to their founding member this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY CORDERO, CEO, SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN TOUCH: This is really a story about not just my father, but the other fathers that are listed on the memorial. And -- so it's poignant, you know I think it's just ironic that my dad -- our dad was lost over Father's Day weekend, but more importantly for all of my friends, all of the sons and daughters from all over the country who come here this weekend.

It's a Father's Day that we didn't get to celebrate as children. And so while our moms filled that role for us, there wasn't the father figure, and so as little kids, Father's Day didn't have a whole a lot of significance. And then you fast-forward to today and these folks have been able to change Father's Day's meaning a little bit for themselves and their families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, that ceremony taking place today. They also have an official ceremony with some speakers that are going to take place at 10:00 Eastern Time today, and also they are going to lay several thousand roses at the base of that wall today and many of the people there leaving notes for their dads.

Now, President Obama, we assume, his little girl is going to be handing him at least a Father's Day card today, and maybe a little something extra, we'll find out about that later. But the President also celebrating Father's Day tomorrow in Washington. On Tuesday he's going to meet with health insurers as well and state insurance commissioners.

Tuesday evening he hosts a reception for the lesbian, gay, bi- sexual and transgender community at the White House. And Wednesday, he meets with his security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan and later discussing energy and climate legislation with a bipartisan group of Senators.

Also Wednesday, he and the First Lady attend an event for the President's council on physical fitness and nutrition. Thursday he's welcoming the Russian President, Dmitri Medvedev to the White House and on Friday, traveling on Ontario for the G-8 summit.

Some cause for concern on this Father's Day for one father who happens to also be a former president, former President George Bush. Baltimore police say his daughter Jenna's home was robbed on Friday. Officers arrived after the alarm sound at the home they left when they didn't find anything. They didn't return five hours later when neighbors noticed two bike we're missing. Those bikes worth $3,500 each; no one was at home during that robbery.

Well, the Exxon Valdez oil spill is considered a once in a lifetime tragedy. At least that's what the attorney representing the Exxon victims talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN O'NEILL, ATTORNEY FOR VICTIMS OF EXXON VALDEZ: Most of these fishermen no longer believe that the court system of the United States provides equal justice. Our governmental institutions will always bailout big oil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, we've got some tips to victims of the BP oil disaster from someone who knows.

Also a pastor takes a long walk and he hopes will ease the pain of those hurt by the Gulf oil crisis.

Its 35 minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And what you're seeing here, folks, a tribute from our team to our dads. A lot of pictures here come to us from many of the people who work on the crew here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY morning. And changed the pictures of their dads and some dads in there as well themselves but you know, we've got to give our own little shout out here this morning as well, on this Father's Day.

And here we are its 37 minutes now past the hour it's getting close to 9:00 and that means you don't have to look at me much longer. That means, you get Candy Crowley here in just a moment, the host of "STATE OF THE UNION". Candy, good morning to you, as always.

BP and oil, I guess we can -- we can start with this gaffe, we're going one to another PR disaster. But aside from the PR stuff, people want this thing cleaned up, this oil spill. And people are still looking at how the President is handling this thing.

He got some things done, the $20 billion escrow, people saw that as at least a success but now maybe pushing this thing a little further and maybe kind of parlay this and do some kind of an energy policy push?

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: Exactly, the President in his speech last Tuesday to the nation pretty much indicated that he thinks the time is right now. Let's remember we have been more than seven weeks watching the oil gusher, watching the wildlife, seeing the deaths on that oil rig, and the President believes that that means the time is right now to start pushing his energy policy.

Now, Republicans have accused him of making politics out of this, but nonetheless, the White House is beginning to push this. We're going to have on Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska to talk about where energy reform is on Capitol Hill right now, whether the presidential push for it will make a difference, a very tough year and a very tough time of the year, since we have elections coming up in November, to push something so major.

But the President clearly wants to try to get this done. And Senator Lieberman has been in the forefront of those putting together a bill. So we want to see what's in it and what the real chances are it might pass.

HOLMES: And I know Candy this is certainly something you can get perspectives on but you know, Republicans, on the other side criticizing the President for somewhat taking advantage, if you will, and trying to politicize and make a push for an energy policy, but quite frankly, this is what presidents and oftentimes and politicians do, you -- you -- you strike when the mood is right for the electorate, when people are looking at something and you can get a good push for it.

CROWLEY: Whether that timing is off and that is true in politics as well as just about everything else in life. And they are looking at the polls. They see, for instance, that deep water drilling and that offshore drilling even in shallower waters has become increasingly unpopular.

The country is still now about split. But the country used to favor off-shore drilling, and that has split over the last seven weeks so the president looking at that thinks that you know, you can get the people behind you that you can have a real movement towards this.

But again this, it's always in the details, how are you going to do it, and what happens to oil production. You know, one of the things that's been really interesting to me is, when you watch the Gulf, this has been just a horrific environmental disaster, and yet what is the other thing they're asking for down in the Gulf, they're asking for a resumption of the deep water drilling because so many jobs are involved and by the way the nation needs the energy.

So it's not all that easy to put it together but if they can put it together, the President believes the time is now.

HOLMES: And you know, so much coverage, and rightly so, has been directed towards the disaster in the Gulf which is still just an ongoing quite frankly and breaking news story. We keep getting updates, and the oil keeps coming, but so much coverage there. And it takes away from coverage of other things including the fact that we still have a couple of warfronts out there including in Afghanistan where things are still ramping up.

CROWLEY: They are and while we were looking elsewhere certainly the troop escalation that the President called for last December has gone on in Afghanistan. And now about 94,000 U.S. troops there. One of the statistics that really sort of shook me into this, doing this part of the show about Afghanistan was since the 11 men died on the oil rig, more than 62 -- about 62 days ago, in that same time span, more than 100 coalition soldiers, including more than 70 American soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

So that war is still ongoing and by the way it's getting tougher and we are being told to expect even higher casualties coming up. So certainly worth looking at coming up.

We talk to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Dick Lugar about it.

So a little bit of oil and a little of Afghanistan is coming up.

HOLMES: All right, well, Candy, we really, really enjoy watching you on "STATE OF THE UNION". We really appreciate the work you do. I'm so glad to have you with us on Sunday morning. So thanks so much and we'll be tuning in here in about 18 minutes.

We'll see you shortly.

CROWLEY: Thanks T.J.

HOLMES: All right, again, keep it right here folks, "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley coming your way the top of the hour at 9:00 Eastern and 6:00 Pacific. Right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, they tried just about everything in the Gulf Coast it seems to try to stop the oil from gushing. They are trying something else today -- prayer. A statewide day of prayer has been issued across the state of Louisiana. The state senate passed a resolution saying just so.

Meanwhile a Washington D.C. minister is reaching out to people worried about that oil spill and he's relying on the strength of his legs and the power of prayer.

Trang Pham Bui of our affiliate WLOX has this morning's "Faces of Faith.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. MITCHELL HESCOX, EVANGELICAL ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK: Praise us God, we come today as we get ready to leave this town just to lift up again, Biloxi, Mississippi.

TRANG PHAM BUI, WLOX NEWS: His Lord, daily walk is filled with / faith and sometimes a few followers.

HESCOX: Oh, lord we pray for the people here. We pray for the devastation.

PHAM BUI: This week his thoughts and prayers are with south Mississippians who are feeling despair as they deal with an environmental disaster.

HESCOX: Worked up really to call to come and walk and pray through Mississippi and Louisiana, to just to pray for God's help in this oil spill, for the oil spill to stop.

PHAM BUI: Reverend Mitchell Hescox is president of the Evangelical Environmental Network, a Christian ministry based in Washington D.C. This week he is on a prayer walk across Mississippi and Louisiana. His march started Monday in Bay, St. Louis.

HESCOX: But I specifically felt called to come to Mississippi and places that maybe were not the hot spots for us to say we care. We are here to lift you up, to be with you to walk with you.

And especially, lord, we pray for those who are hurting, those without jobs. Those whose livelihoods are going away.

PHAM BUI: During his 80-mile journey, he recites the Lord's Prayer, and chants and even sings. Along the way, he stops to listen to the peoples' stories; the blistering heat and stifling humidity don't seem to bother him.

HESCOX: And it's worth it because this is the way I can get out and touch the people. To show solidarity that, you know, when I walk into the harbor with a sweatie t-shirt on and my hair dripping, I said, you know, I am with you folks.

Lord, I pray you be with her in this fear of this oil spill and give her hope.

PHAM BUI: His steps may take him out of Mississippi, but his heart and prayers will always remain with the people.

HESCOX: Bless the people of this area. That you'd keep them safe and watch over them; we ask this in Jesus' most precious name, amen.

PHAM BUI: In Biloxi, Trang Pham Bui, WLOX News.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: A lot of people have been looking for a way that they can help out in the Gulf. Here is your chance to do it.

Join us Monday night for an all-star telethon to help people in the Gulf. A special two-hour "LARRY KING LIVE" event begins at 8:00 Eastern, Monday night right here on CNN.

On this father's day we have another father we want to introduce you to. This one has a lot to be thankful for. He is playing at the U.S. Open on his third heart. That's his life. His remarkable story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Don't know quite yet if it means he is back in Tiger form, but there are some flashes of brilliance and flashes of the old Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open yesterday. Take a look at his best round of the year at this tournament. Pretty impressive performance; this is the most impressive he's had since, of course, all the scandal broke surrounding him. Eight birdies including a couple at 16th and 18th; the most ever at a U.S. Open.

Right now he is in third after shooting a 66 yesterday. Even though he is in third, he is still five shots back, so a lot of ground to cover to make it up. But still, Tiger Woods in the hunt at Pebble Beach today.

This father-son story now to tell you about a man who's also at the U.S. Open. He did not make the cut which means he's is not playing into the weekend, but this Miami man reached a personal milestone by just teeing off at the U.S. Open, after two heart transplants.

Patrick Snell has the story.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For one father this weekend, this Sunday is extra special. Not only is Erik Compton, the father of a one-year-old daughter but also against all the odds for the first time ever he has been playing in the U.S. Open.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNELL: Peter Compton has always been a brave golfer.

PETER COMPTON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I have been a horrible golfer my whole life, so I was not afraid to take an 8-year-old kid that was going to need a heart transplant out on the course.

His son, Eric, now 30, has always been a bold dreamer.

ERIK COMPTON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I am a dreamer, so I dream that, you know, I could get another heart, and I could come back out and play.

SNELL: Eric, a Miami native has already had not one, but two heart transplants: the first at age 12 after suffering from cardiomyopathy, and the second just over two years ago after a heart attack at age 27.

E. COMPTON: When I was laying there in the ICU and after the transplant, I pretty much had come to grips that I wasn't ever going to play golf again. I sold all my golf equipment.

SNELL: But the father who first introduced his sixth son to the game when he had go give up more strenuous sports would not let his boy's dream die.

E. COMPTON: I think that a lot of my success off the golf course has come from my dad, which even when I was sick in the hospital, was reading "Golf Week" to me, and had a vision of me playing golf again.

PETER COMPTON, ERIK COMPTON'S FATHER: After all that he has been through, there is no way we can say no to him. After all, the reason that he goes through all of this is to continue his life and continue to live the life that he wants.

SNELL: What Erik always wanted was to qualify for the U.S. Open. And after too many failed attempts to remember over 15 years, that dream became a reality this week at Pebble Beach. It took 36 holes and a play-off in the qualifying tournament for him to do it, grueling for a man living with a borrowed heart. But Compton has never been one to sit on the sidelines.

E. COMPTON: I feel better when I'm on the course than I do when I'm at home watching TV. When you're home you think about every heartbeat you have and every little tick that you have. So golf has helped me to overcome mentally a lot of the scars that I do have.

SNELL: those scars are long and deep but so is the inspiration they have provided for those around him.

P. COMPTON: Not only the way he lives his life is an inspiration for people but it also gives people the faith to know that if anything in the transplant world should happen to them, they can see that he a living example of how well it works.

SNELL: This week, Erik Compton also is a living example of a dream come true.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNELL: Well, sadly for Erik, his U.S. Open experience would end in premature disappointment after he failed to make the cut after the first two rounds. But undeterred, he was back out her on Saturday, practicing, fine-tuning his game, looking to improve for the sport that he quite clearly adores -- T.J. back to you.

HOLMES: All right. To our Patrick Snell, thank you. And even if he didn't make the cut, great experience and great story for him, congratulations.

Well, to the Gulf oil spill. When images of the Gulf oil spill began to hit the airways, it was pretty much deja vu for the lawyers for the victims of the Exxon Valdez spill. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of these fishermen no longer believe that the court system of the United States provides equal justice. Our governmental institutions will always bail out the big oil.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: One of the attorneys who represented the victims of the Exxon Valdez disaster has some advice for the victims of the Gulf Coast oil disaster. He spoke to CNN's Chris Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN O'NEILL, ATTORNEY FOR EXXON VALDEZ VICTIMS: It was in Alaska. There were an awful lot of hurt people. I thought what happened was wrong and it was a chance to do a major good work. And I thought it would be a two or three year adventure.

Yes. I got tired of it. I got tired of it years ago. But once you undertake fixing somebody's problem like that, you are stuck with it, like getting oil on your skin. You can't get rid of it.

This is the front page of the "Anchorage Daily News". That's me coming out of the courtroom.

CHRIS WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good day for you right?

O'NEILL: That was a good day.

The fishermen did not get as much as they should have gotten. Most of these fishermen no longer believe that the court system of the United States provides equal justice.

Our governmental institutions will always bail out big oil; and they did here. Whoever controls oil rules the world.

I would see what I could get out of BP; we'll see what I could get out of the oil spill fund without signing a waiver of any of my rights to sue. And then if I had to sue, I would go I would go with the biggest, most famous law firm down there, because that's the one that is most likely to weather the storm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And again, he is talking there of certain experience that Exxon Valdez, of course, has already been surpassed many, many times over by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Again that oil spill continues at this hour, on day 62. Every minute of every single day, that oil continues to gush.

We will never be too far away from that story here at CNN.

But right now, it's time for me to hand it over to "STATE OF THE UNION, and Candy Crowley which starts right now.

Happy father's day out there.